Poetics of Nothingness: Ordering Wilderness

Abstract

This chapter takes the reader on a journey into the wilderness of Melrakkaslétta and follows the researcher who takes on the role of an explorer to rethink the potentiality of a place as a tourist destination. Selected encounters with features and figures whilst journeying are examined. What these have in common, although different in nature, is that they bring the flow of movement to a momentary, sometimes poetical, standstill which requires rethinking the order of things in an explorative manner. The features selected are: Beach Arctic terns Moss and lichens Modern ruin The aim is to examine how one can be in touch with the surroundings by allowing for the narratives they entail to emerge when moving with them. A beach reveals how heterogeneous materialities are moved about by natural forces which reflects on the constant rejuvenation that a place undergoes. Arctic terns provide a sense for constant renewal through seasonal changes and extreme mobile abilities. Moss and lichens bring one into direct touch with multispecies habitation that grows and nurtures, whilst modern ruins of a derelict farm give an insight into more-than-human co-habitation of flows and fluxes. These features represent mobile forces that constantly shape a place; a destination.